The present invention relates to the vacuum cleaner art and more particularly to vacuum cleaners employing a water filter.
The invention is particularly applicable to a vacuum cleaner employing a bypass type blower motor in association with a water pan, separator and filter assembly. However, it will be appreciated to those skilled in the art that the invention could be readily adapted for use with other types of vacuum cleaners or other types of devices.
Conventional vacuum cleaners employing a water filter are known but have suffered the problems resulting from unreliable water filtration, excessive water filter turbulence and water contamination of the motor bearing elements over a period of time. It is important for the working air in a water filtration system to pass through a sufficient amount of water to draw off the dirt particles from the dirty working air. Where the dirty working air passes through an inadequate amount of water, the dirt particles are merely transmitted through the system in association with the uncleaned working air. Inadequate water passage has occurred through design limitations or through excessive turbulence of the water which created air passageways through the water. Excessive and uncontrolled turbulence can also cause excited impingement of water splashes against the cleaner motor and bearings with consequential harm occurring to such elements.
Another common problem in vacuum cleaner construction is the undesirably high level of noise made by the cleaner during operation from the cleaner motor, the cleaner vacuum fans and the resulting noise from turbulent working air. A variety of baffle arrangements have been suggested and employed in the industry, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,899, to reduce the noise level, all with varying degrees of success.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved vacuum cleaner construction which overcomes all of the above referred to problems and others to provide a new vacuum cleaner construction which is simple in design, economical to manufacture, provides improved noise reduction, provides improved protection of the motor and bearing elements against water and contaminants during operation, provides improved water separation operation from working air and which provides improved and controlled operation of water turbulence and working air operation.